Runners!
mserickson99
Posts: 21 Member
Any Half runners thinking about training for a Marathon? It would be such an accomplishment to run one...I’m trying to wrap my head around 26.2 miles.
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Nope, too much training commitment for me. I'm happy with a half.
Maybe one day though... :laugh:2 -
Doing a 60k in two weeks
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"training" for Marine Corps Marathon right now0
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Yeah, I've run a couple of full marathons and a handful of half marathons.
Life changes at Mile 20, it damn sure does.....1 -
I’m still training for a half, but that’s my dream for one day1
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Not me. Training is too much of a commitment. I have zero desire to have to go out on 2-3 hour training runs. I have no doubt that I could actually run 26.2 miles if I wanted to put in the time to prepare but I simply don't want to.
Half marathons are a nice balance for me. Long enough that they feel like a challenge but short enough that training won't monopolize your life. An hour per day 4-5 days per week is likely what I'd do for fitness anyway. The only things that a HM training program would add are 2-3 slightly longer runs over the course of a 12 week program (but the longer runs are still less than 90 minutes).1 -
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Is that a relay?? That’s crazy.
I agree with what you’re saying about training DX2JX2- I agree with what you’re saying regarding training. It’s manageable with Half’s. I don’t see it being enjoyable training that much for a Full.0 -
Not me. Training is too much of a commitment. I have zero desire to have to go out on 2-3 hour training runs. I have no doubt that I could actually run 26.2 miles if I wanted to put in the time to prepare but I simply don't want to.
Half marathons are a nice balance for me. Long enough that they feel like a challenge but short enough that training won't monopolize your life. An hour per day 4-5 days per week is likely what I'd do for fitness anyway. The only things that a HM training program would add are 2-3 slightly longer runs over the course of a 12 week program (but the longer runs are still less than 90 minutes).
there is so much truth in this.
I had a training partner for my full marathon and we would tackle our long runs every Saturday morning.
Towards the end of the training, he wasn't talking much on our runs.
He finally told me:
"We've been running and talking for hours & hours & hours. I've told you about every girl I've ever dated, every job I've had, my political views.... most everything. I've run out of things to talk about."
Yeah, training for the full marathon takes time.2 -
i keep playing with the idea. we have a nice one in my hometown and some others nearby but i think i'd be pretty close to the sweepers.0
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mserickson99 wrote: »Is that a relay?? That’s crazy.
I agree with what you’re saying about training DX2JX2- I agree with what you’re saying regarding training. It’s manageable with Half’s. I don’t see it being enjoyable training that much for a Full.
I've done a couple of marathons and most of the marathon experience *is*, IMO, the training. You're racing for one day, but you're setting aside about 18 weeks for training. If you don't think you'd enjoy it, that's really something to seriously consider. It's a big portion of the year and it's going to take up a good chunk of your weekends.
(That said, I find marathon training to be really enjoyable! It gives me even more of a sense of accomplishment and stability than racing does. The race is like the icing on the cake).2 -
You can totally do it. It's just a matter of having the time and mental discipline to train for a full. You already have a good idea of the level of commitment required if you're training for and running half marathons. Just double that!
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Time is precious to me and with a husband, 4 kidlets, a job...finding time to run is challenging enough. I get about 5 miles 3x a week in right now.0
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nah, I'm with those who are happy to stick with running half marathons. I love training for a half, but know darn well I haven't got the discipline or commitment to train for a full. I run because I love running, and would hate for it to become a chore and suck all the enjoyment out of it. I run because I want to, not because I have to.3
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BruinsGal_91 wrote: »nah, I'm with those who are happy to stick with running half marathons. I love training for a half, but know darn well I haven't got the discipline or commitment to train for a full. I run because I love running, and would hate for it to become a chore and suck all the enjoyment out of it. I run because I want to, not because I have to.
I'm absolutely loving not having a race to train for at the moment... though at the same time it's also starting to make me feel twitchy to want to sign up for something! So weird!3 -
I run half distances pretty frequently but I have the unscientific opinion that once you up your mileage to marathon-training, that's the point where running stops being really good for you and starts causing your body problems. I realize it's not really that straightforward, but I can run up to about 30mpw pretty consistently and never have problems, but as soon as I up it past that, I start hurting myself and feeling crappy instead of great after a run, so that's my n=1.
I might do it once just to say I did, but I don't really have the time or motivation right now.1 -
I ran my first marathon this year after running 8 or so half marathons. The training was definitely much more intense and it took much more planning during the week. It was the hardest physical thing I've ever done, but it was such a great experience looking back. I got to listen to a lot of great podcasts and audiobooks during those 3-4 hour training runs
I also feel like a marathon is worth traveling across the country for when a half may or may not be worth the expense. I live in Colorado and I flew to Florida for the Walt Disney World Marathon. I made a whole run-cation around the race with my family. I picked a race that I knew I would enjoy so if I ended up hating 26.2 miles I would suffer a little less being in a place I loved.
Even thought it was painful and exhausting, I loved the marathon so much that I signed up to run another this fall (Marine Corps Marathon in October... more travel!).
But don't run a marathon if you can't commit to the extra hours of training or if you don't want to. It has to be something you really want. You can finish a half marathon undertrained without much harm, but if you're not trained for a marathon it can be really dangerous.2 -
TavistockToad wrote: »BruinsGal_91 wrote: »nah, I'm with those who are happy to stick with running half marathons. I love training for a half, but know darn well I haven't got the discipline or commitment to train for a full. I run because I love running, and would hate for it to become a chore and suck all the enjoyment out of it. I run because I want to, not because I have to.
I'm absolutely loving not having a race to train for at the moment... though at the same time it's also starting to make me feel twitchy to want to sign up for something! So weird!
Yep, I know that twitchy feeling all too well. I like to run one or two races per month and like to get them in the diary well in advance to stop me from getting complacent. I've already got my races lined up for June through October. A nice mix of 5k's and 10k's; mainly smallish local races, but a couple of big events as well (J P Morgan Corporate Challenge next week, and the Tuft's Women's 10k in October). November's races will possibly be a half-marathon, plus a 5k turkey trot. And I try and get a few parkruns done too.1 -
I've done 48 and working on all 50 states. The biggest difference in training is to stretch out those long runs. I start my 18-20 week training cycle with a base which includes a couple half marathons, then include two long runs of 15, two of 17, two of 19 and three runs exceeding 20 miles.
Know your course, especially the elevation profile so you will know if you need to include any hill work. Also, know what to expect for average temperatures. If its a big city marathon, and you dont want the aggravation of race day traffic and parking, rent a hotel close to the start and finish.0 -
Do it! Join the rest of us marathon finishers!KeepRunningFatboy wrote: »I've done 48 and working on all 50 states. The biggest difference in training is to stretch out those long runs. I start my 18-20 week training cycle with a base which includes a couple half marathons, then include two long runs of 15, two of 17, two of 19 and three runs exceeding 20 miles.
Know your course, especially the elevation profile so you will know if you need to include any hill work. Also, know what to expect for average temperatures. If its a big city marathon, and you dont want the aggravation of race day traffic and parking, rent a hotel close to the start and finish.
I am doing the 50 in 50, but with HMs.2 -
I'm aiming for a Marathon this fall!2
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I did my first marathon in April after quite a few halfs.
I loved the training but it was difficult fitting it all in. I managed with short runs during the week and a long run at the weekend.2 -
BruinsGal_91 wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »BruinsGal_91 wrote: »nah, I'm with those who are happy to stick with running half marathons. I love training for a half, but know darn well I haven't got the discipline or commitment to train for a full. I run because I love running, and would hate for it to become a chore and suck all the enjoyment out of it. I run because I want to, not because I have to.
I'm absolutely loving not having a race to train for at the moment... though at the same time it's also starting to make me feel twitchy to want to sign up for something! So weird!
Yep, I know that twitchy feeling all too well. I like to run one or two races per month and like to get them in the diary well in advance to stop me from getting complacent. I've already got my races lined up for June through October. A nice mix of 5k's and 10k's; mainly smallish local races, but a couple of big events as well (J P Morgan Corporate Challenge next week, and the Tuft's Women's 10k in October). November's races will possibly be a half-marathon, plus a 5k turkey trot. And I try and get a few parkruns done too.
Ten marathons planned this year. At that point is not actually too bad to fit in training as the longs are races.3 -
I went from 1/2 (my last was in Oct. 2016) to 50k last weekend! It’s totally doable. It hurt in the moment but I was so proud of myself that I will definitely run an ultra again!! I’ve got a marathon in October up next.0
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I did my first marathon in April after quite a few halfs.
I loved the training but it was difficult fitting it all in. I managed with short runs during the week and a long run at the weekend.
@marikaCL What kinds of distance were your short and long runs?
My training for my Half’s are merely endurance buildup. My short runs are 3-5 miles. My long are 6-10 miles. If I can run these distances without feeling completely dead then I do great at my Half’s!
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Just finished week two of training for an October marathon. It has been almost a decade since my last marathon. The training takes time, but I find that with a half I can cheat on the training a bit too much whereas with a full I need to commit to a training plan fully.0
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I'm on Team Turtle, I'm just working on finishing a 5k in a place better than dead last (for the runners). I'm getting there. I am enjoying these threads though, a lot of insight.2
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Himserickson99 wrote: »I did my first marathon in April after quite a few halfs.
I loved the training but it was difficult fitting it all in. I managed with short runs during the week and a long run at the weekend.
@marikaCL What kinds of distance were your short and long runs?
My training for my Half’s are merely endurance buildup. My short runs are 3-5 miles. My long are 6-10 miles. If I can run these distances without feeling completely dead then I do great at my Half’s!
My short runs were about 3 miles.
Long runs varied but longest was 20 miles before the day0 -
A few years back our local newspaper interviewed a group of the most prominent, mostly-amateur runners in our area. One of the questions they asked all of them was: What's your favorite distance?
Now, a lot of these runners were a bit older -- late 30s and 40s --and they were notable for marathon running.
So, naturally, I assumed most would answer "the marathon."
But they didn't.
Far and away the most popular distance mentioned by these runners was the half-marathon. They said it was such a long distance that it was a great workout, but it did not leave someone feeling as beat up afterwards as a marathon does.
I lived in Boston one year and we 'bandited' the marathon, as many used to do back then.
I'd probably never do a marathon again. I love to run. The race was great fun and left me with a tremendous sense of accomplishment. But the training for a marathon is so extensive, too excessive. It gets boring.
I like a six-mile run. I feel free when I run, and I find it meditative to be out moving, underneath the trees, in the fresh air. But when you have to run 12 miles and 15 miles? Ugghh! You're out there for two-hours -- same motion. So tedious.
And, after a two-hour run, your energy is gone for the rest of the day. You are totally spent. It is even hard to concentrate sometimes.
I would not discourage anyone who wanted to do a marathon from doing one. But I found that it was not particularly pleasurable.6 -
It really depends on your reasons for wanting to run a marathon and the time you're willing/able to commit. Personally, I get bored around mile 10 or 12, and I don't want to spend many hours on long runs every weekend. I'm perfectly happy with the half. My usual run is 10k, 3 times per week, and if I'm training for a race I add in a long run on the weekend.-1
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